Oklahoma to vote on medical marijuana in June

Oklahoma on Thursday set a date for a medical marijuana statewide referendum just hours after the Justice Department announced a shift on federal marijuana enforcement. 

Gov. Mary Fallin (R) announced in a statement Thursday that the referendum will be held on June 26 during the primary election, following a 2016 petition asking for a vote. 

“Backers of this proposal to legalize medical marijuana followed procedures and gathered the more than 66,000 required signatures to submit the issue to a vote of the people,” Fallin said. “I’m fulfilling my duty as governor to decide when that election will occur this year.”

{mosads}If passed, the measure would allow state residents age 18 or older who have a doctor’s permission to carry small amounts of the drug and grow a restricted number of marijuana plants. Oklahoma cities and counties would have the power to amend the restrictions, the governor says. 

Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday announced the repeal of an Obama-era policy on dealing with states that allow for recreational use of pot. The so-called Cole memo directed federal prosecutors to deprioritize marijuana cases in states that have legalized the drug.  

Sessions, a longtime advocate of stricter drug laws, heralded the move as a “return to the rule of law” on the issue, but critics on both sides of the aisle lambasted him for the decision.